In Her Place
by 77WarriorCats77
Summary: A young she cat born to a harsh Clan dedicated to a horrid practice, one that inflicts both pain and pleasure. Desperate to prove her loyalty to her birth Clan, she gets herself into a situation much bigger and more agonizing than she can handle.
1. Chapter One

With a squeal of excitement, Hazelkit flung herself at Treekit, her light brown fur bristling with excitement. The tom let out a mewl of terror and fell back, his darker fur fluffing up as he scrambled towards Lightkit. The white kit looked up and immediately raced towards their mother, who was gently grooming Patchkit.

She stopped in her careful cleaning and narrowed her light green eyes, reaching out a paw to stop the speeding tom. "Slow down! You'll mess up your fur!" Lightkit slowed slightly, but kept on towards the queen.

When there was only a fox length between the two, Treekit caught up, Hazelkit on his tail. They pounced in unison, landing squarely on the fluffy kit, who scrabbled feebly, letting out weak mewls of protest.

Leaftail stood up, stepping around Patchkit, whose tortoiseshell fur shone freshly cleaned. "Get off of your brother, you two!" She swiftly scooped Lightkit away from the tussling littermates, setting him down next to Patchkit. "Now I have to groom you again!"

The three dusty kits let out groans of protest, all looking up at their mother. "Unless you don't want to become apprentices!" She swished her tail, turning away to observe Lightkit. His white fur was covered in dust and muck, sticking up all over the place.

With a sigh, she settled down again, grooming her kit for the third time that day. _Stingstar had better hurry this up, I don't think I can last much longer. _She licked his long fur briskly, trying to rid him of the dirt.

Her ears perked as she heard the familiar summons. She glanced over her kits, searching out the dirtiest one. Reaching forward, she grabbed Hazelkit and drew her tongue quickly over her fur, ignoring her mewls of protest and indignation.

When Treetail was satisfied with her appearance, she let the kits charge off towards the clearing, where Stingstar and the Clan were waiting.

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**You are allowed to send in OCs to this story!**

**All of the information, plus the Allegiances, check my Profile page!**

**Sorry that it was short, I was kind of rushed to get this done.**


	2. Chapter Two

"Hazelkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hazelpaw. Your mentor will be Tigerslash. I hope Tigerslash will pass down all he knows on to you." Stingstar's bright yellow eyes rested on the young she cat, before turning towards the dark warrior.

"Tigerslash, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Longfang, let us all take a moment to remember him." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "And you have shown yourself to be brave and intelligent. You will mentor Hazelpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The dark brown tabby stepped forward, leaning down to reach his apprentice. She looked up at him with wide eyes, reaching up to touch noses with him. With a confused flick of her tail, she realized that her mentor's eyes held fear in their depths. She wasn't sure why. She wasn't even his first apprentice.

Then the two withdrew to stand next to the other three newly made apprentices. With a flick of his ears, Lightpaw acknowledged his sister's presence.

Stingstar leaped down from the High Rock, signalling that the meeting was over.

Instantly, Hazelpaw turned to her mentor, eyes shining. "What are we going to do first?! Fighting? Hunting?" She bounced excitedly, tail high in the air.

"We are going to tour the territory. You must know the borders of our territory, and where other Clans meet ours." He paused gazing at his apprentice thoughtfully. "But I think we will go alone. Your littermates can learn without you..." His pale yellow eyes narrowed slightly.

She frowned. "Why can't we go with them?" The she cat turned her head towards her littermates, who were watching silently.

With brief hesitation, Tigerslash leaned forward towards her. "One would think it doesn't matter. Mentor's word is law to the apprentice, young one." He flicked his tail. "The sooner we get going, the sooner you can come back and craft your nests with the other apprentices."

The younger tabby smiled, jumping into the air once. "Let's go, then!" She raced over to the entrance to the camp, where she noticed Stingstar was waiting. His gaze was fixed on a hidden part of the clearing. As a kit, she was never allowed to go back there, but maybe, as an apprentice...She pushed the thought away, and slowed to a gentle trot. She had to concentrate on becoming a Warrior first!

Tigerslash arrived not long after, talking quietly to Stingstar. They both occasionally glanced at her, which made her fur prickle in curiosity.

All of the other newly made apprentices were already out of the camp with their mentors, no doubt exploring the land. While she sat, waiting for the two grown cats to stop whispering suspiciously. After several more heartbeats, the black tom dipped his head and bounded out of the camp. Tigerslash watched him go, before turning back to his apprentice.

"Right, sorry about that." She twitched her ears in understanding. "Anyway, why don't we go." He began to head for the barrier, before looking over his shoulder. "And do exactly what we tell you."

_We? What did he mean by that?_

She shook her head slightly, following him out of camp. She felt a prickle of excitement. She had never been into the forest before! "Hazelpaw! Slow your pace." Her mentor's stern mew made her slow down.

"Why? Are there enemies? I can fight them!" To demonstrate, she leaped into the air, swatting at the leaves above her head. They rattled noisily to the ground.

"Just hush! Remember what I told you!" Tigerslash turned to glare at her, eyes narrowed. "Now follow me, and for StarClan's sake! Keep your mouth shut."

Hazelpaw looked up at him with wide eyes. Her ears were pinned back.

With a small sigh, Tigerslash stopped walking, sitting in front of her. "Look. I'm supposed to be escorting you to a meeting. And all I know is that you have to be quiet." He closed his eyes. "I'm trusting you to do what they say, because I don't know what's going to happen..." He shook his head slowly. "Do me a favor. When it's over, let me know what happened."

"You won't be there?" The pretty tabby tilted her head slightly. "Then how will I know what to do?" Distress filled her pale green eyes.

Tigerslash flicked his tail. "Just do what they say." He stood and started to lead the way again. When they reached an isolated part of the forest, the two stopped. "Don't be scared, okay? Just do what they say." He dipped his head slightly to her. "It's just ahead. I-I'm not allowed." He leaned forward to give her ear a quick lick. "Good luck."

Silently, he disappeared back along the path they had come from.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward through the undergrowth, freezing at what lay in front of her.

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**Bleh! Finally got this done. Feel free to take a guess at what lay in front of her! :3**

**I will always be accepting new characters, if you still have some to give. Or just name suggestions, and I could craft the other stuff.**

**Umm...For some reason, it's not letting me submit new documents, so it might take a bit longer than usual to update, because I only have two saved documents, and they're both lemons for my other story... Funny how that works.**

**Anyway, I think that's about it for this chapter.**

**Peace!**


	3. Chapter Three

Blinking slowly, Hazelpaw stepped deeper into the clearing, eyes wide. She easily recognized Stingstar. She had seen him around the camp, as well as just before she left. And Owlscreech, who served as Deputy. He used to drop by the nursery to look in on the kits.

The other five cats were unknown to her. And they didn't smell like ShadowClan. They sat or paced impatiently in pairs. She crouched low when one of them, a grey tom with dark flecks, noticed her arrival. "Hey, Stingstar! She's here." His voice had a pleasant ring to it, and it made her fur tingle.

The other cats turned towards her, and it made her shrink with unease. There was something in their eyes that unsettled her. A handsome golden tom flicked his tail, turning to the cat that sat beside him. She was a sleek black cat, with silver markings. Her pale green eyes glittered as she spoke. "Is this the one?" She had a voice like silk.

Stingstar stepped in front of her, grinning. "Yes." He turned towards Hazelpaw, his sharp yellow eyes narrowing. "You must be confused, right? The grey tom is Ashstar, he's from ThunderClan. Sitting next to him is Honeydawn, ThunderClan's Deputy." Hazelpaw twisted her head to look at each cat as he labeled them.

"Dogstar is the brown RiverClan one with the ragged pelt. Unfortunately, his Deputy was unable to come." The fierce tom labeled lifted his top lip in the beginnings of a snarl. "Thistlestar is the golden one. Swiftfoot is the black one. They're from WindClan." He sniffed the air. "Did I forget anyone?"

There was only a soft grunt from Dogstar. Which roughly translated to _no._

"Why am I here? And why was Tigerslash not allowed to come? And why are there other Clans in our territory? What's wrong with his Deputy? And whe-" Hazelpaw was cut off when Stingstar placed his tail across her muzzle.

"Just shut up. Alright?" His eyes were cold for a fraction of a second, before they warmed again. "Your questions will be answered soon enough."

Removing his tail, he turned to look at the cats surrounding them. "This is the cat I was telling you about. I trust she will meet your expectations?" He flicked his ears forward expectantly.

With an almost silent hiss, Dogstar padded towards her. His head and tail were high in the air, and his dark brown eyes glowed with quiet authority. It made Hazelpaw want to back way, but Stingstar stood next to her, claws unsheathed. As if he knew she might try to run.

"You know me well, Sting." The powerful tom's voice was gravelly and rough, as if unused. "And I am never one to turn down an opportunity like this." He gazed down at the apprentice. "I will inspect her. If she passes my test...then you've got yourself a deal." The ShadowClan leader nodded slowly, stepping to the side.

Dogstar leaned towards her, ragged fur bristling slightly. His breath was rank, smelling of fish and crowfood. "Young one. You don't know why you are here...right?" The she cat said nothing, holding as still as she could. "Thistlestar. Want to explain to her?"

The golden tabby flicked his tail. "To answer your first question, you are here to see if you match our..._personal_ standards. We can trust Sting to explain that in further detail later." He paused, glancing to the black cat, who dipped his head slightly. "Right. Tigerslash isn't allowed to come because this is a secret. A...surprise, you might say. And we don't want the surprise to be ruined, right?" Hazelpaw shook her head. "Good."

While he was speaking, Dogstar had begun to circle her, studying her. It was a tad unnerving. His intent gaze never left her body. Thistlestar spoke again. "We are all on ShadowClan territory for the surprise." Dogstar lifted his tail, dragging it along her flank. "His deputy is just in charge of a few things at camp. Nothing too severe." A scarred muzzle roughly lifted her tail.

She tried to hold it still, but it was quivering slightly. He chuckled softly, moving away. The dark brown tom shouldered his way to Stingstar. "Trust me, your dear leader can answer your other questions." Thistlestar turned to look at the two cats, quietly talking.

After several heartbeats of uncomfortable mumbling, the black ShadowClan leader broke away, glancing at Hazelpaw with a smirk on his face.

"We have a winner."

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**Yay! I finally got this done!**

**Now, I know it's not much for this chapter, buuuuuuut, it's good for now. I don't exactly have much time at the moment, but I promise to post more soon...**

**If you look at my profile, under "RiverClan", you'll see why the Deputy can't come...Doesn't take too much of a genius.**

**I think that's it. Oh! And I will _always _ be accepting new characters, so keep that in mind, if you have any spares. **

**Talk to you all next time!**

**Peace!**


	4. Chapter Four

"Eeeeeww! What's that smell?" Lightpaw's muzzle crinkled slightly as they neared one of the Clan's borders.

Viperfang chuckled softly, padding alongside his apprentice. "That is the smell of ThunderClan." He looked at the white tom. "A smell you'll need to know."

Lightpaw pulled his ears back. "Why do they smell so yucky?"

Treepaw bounced in front of his brother. "They eat different prey, mousebrain!" He glanced back at Voleclaw, who rolled his eyes.

"I suppose that's partially correct." The brown tom muttered, flicking his tail. "You'll learn more later. For now, we're just trying to show you the territory."

"Now come on, we need to head towards the lake border." Viperfang's blue eyes narrowed as sun burst through the trees. "Be careful, there is plenty of garbage by the shore. One could injure himself if they were not careful." His words were lost on his apprentice as the white tom shot forward.

"You can't really blame him, you know. We were as excited as they were to be out of camp for the first time." Mintbreeze gazed fondly at her apprentice, who was just barely containing himself. "Patchpaw, could you go get Lightpaw, please?"

The green eyed tom nodded, bounding after his brother.

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They were passing through the forest, on their way back to camp, when Voleclaw stopped, jaws open to taste the air. "Wait." The other cats stood still. "Do you smell that?"

Lightpaw nodded. "ThunderClan, right?" He could smell the woody odor of the Clan.

"Yeah... What's it doing so deep in the forest?" Mintbreeze crouched down. "RiverClan and WindClan are here too. And they're close..." Her nose twitched.

The apprentices jumped backwards as five cats pushed their way towards them, walking together in a line. A golden tom was chuckling quietly, while a grey tom with darker flecks rolled his dark blue eyes.

When the group spotted the apprentices and their mentors, they halted their walking. Except for a scarred brown tom, who kept walking and shoved through the younger cats, his dark eyes narrowed.

"Can I help you?" Viperfang's red fur bristled as he stepped towards the cats.

The grey tom twitched his ears, glancing at a golden brown she cat next to him. "No..." He mewed slowly, his companions turning to face the ShadowClan cats. "Umm...If you'll move, we'll be on our way."

Mintbreeze lashed her tail. "What are you doing here?"

The tom that was laughing earlier now strolled forward nonchalantly, "Secret meeting that your Leader will tell you about. I'm _sure_ of it." He flicked his tail, and a black she cat bounded after him towards the lake.

"He's joking." The gray tom hissed, racing after them with the golden she cat at his heels.

Lightpaw looked at his mentor. "Why was Stingstar meeting with those cats?"

The red tom closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. "I don't know." He blinked them open, padding forward. "Let's get back and ask him."

"I bet they were just trespassing! Taking advantage of...of...stuff!" Treepaw pressed himself against the ground, fur puffed up.

Voleclaw stood up straight, tail sticking out behind him. "Don't go chasing after them. And don't mention this to Stingstar." He was addressing all of the apprentices. "He's got enough to worry about as it is."

"Agreed. Now come on!" Mintbreeze bounded towards camp, her apprentice trailing behind her.

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Stingstar watched from the shadows of his den as the new apprentices returned from touring the territory. His yellow eyes glittered brightly in the darkness. The white apprentice, Lightpaw, instantly bounded around the camp, searching for his sister.

The black tom sighed, getting to his paws and heading towards the freshkill pile. He grabbed a lizard, taking it back to his den.

Stormpaw flicked his tail as his mentor passed him, blinking in greeting. Stingstar set down his lizard, glancing in the young tom's direction. "We're going hunting soon, so be ready." He picked up his prey and continued through the clearing. He brushed past Tigerslash, who pulled away abruptly, eyes narrowed.

The black tom shrugged and padded into his den, plopping down and opening his jaws to take a bite of his meal. He devoured it quickly, grooming himself when he finished. He stilled carried the scent of the other Clans, and it filled his scent glands.

He watched as the apprentice's den rustled slightly, Hazelpaw slipping out through the thorny walls. Her pale green eyes met his bright yellow, and he sensed a challenge in her gaze. Stingstar lifted his dark brown forepaw, claws unsheathing. The pretty she cat's eyes widened and she slowly crept into back into the den.

A sinister smile settled on his muzzle. "Don't you worry, Hazelpaw." He whispered, "I have_ great _plans for you..."

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**Finally! I updated!**

**Sorry, I was on a sort of writers block for a while, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'll try to update more often. Keep the story going.**

**Also, sorry for the shortish chapter, I'll definitely have a longer chapter next time, because of the Gathering, and whatnot. Unless I delay the Gathering for another update. Dunno, I guess it depends on how everything goes in the story telling process. **

**Also, can you send in characters for WindClan? I don't even mind if they're some names from the books, so long as they aren't super main characters like Fireheart or Lionblaze or whatever.**

**Oh! And we need more slaves soon, if you were willing to contribute on that front. Or more loners/kittypets to turn into slaves. Up to you. And if they are loners/kittypets, and you want them to get captured through their POV, I'll do that. But only for the first person who asks. :P**

**And if you feel as though your character is misrepresented in some way, lemme know, and I can change it.**

**I think that's about it...**

**~Peace!**


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